ageing : This wine can be enjoyed now, but has been structured to gain complexity with maturation over the next few years.

Crafting Contemporary Classics South African wines so often tread the line between the old world and the new and for Zonnebloem’s range of award winning wines, this balance between classic and contemporary is ever present. Zonnebloem is a brand that stands for craftsmanship in all its forms. After all craft is at the heart of the winemaking process, from the farms that produce our grapes who use the earth as their canvas to create the fruit which lends our wines their rich, distinctive character; to the winemakers who use the skills they have learned and developed over decades to create the rich varietals and blends that make up the Zonnebloem staple. Our commitment to craft doesn’t end with the bottled product, Zonnebloem invests in craftsmen and artisans to ensure that every bottle is presented, and enjoyed, in a way that speaks to the craft that went into its creation.

A Culture of ExcellenceZonnebloem has a storied history going back to the establishment of the original estate in 1692, but the true story of Zonnebloem Wines starts in 1856 when the original estate was divided between the sons of Petrus Malherbe. One of his sons named his portion Zonnebloem. The farm was later purchased by the Furter family and in 1940 Frederik Furter’s granddaughter Marie took over winemaking at the estate and met with almost instant success winning three trophies at the prestigious Cape Wine Show. She went on to repeat this feat a further three times. It is stories like this that inspire us, and it is why we strive to seek out and recognise excellence in craftsmanship wherever we may find it, because what is excellent today, would have been excellent in the past and will still be considered excellent tomorrow.

in the vineyard : Annelie Viljoen (Viticulturist) The grapes were sourced from trellised, dryland and irrigated vineyards in the Jonkershoek, Devon Valley, Stellenbosch Kloof and Helderberg areas. Some of the vines are grown under dryland conditions while others are irrigated. Mostly south-west facing, they derive the maximum benefit from cooling maritime breezes that contribute to slow ripening of the grapes and concentrated fruit flavours.

about the harvest: Deon Boshoff (Cellar Master) / Bonny van Niekerk (Winemaker) The grapes from the four cultivars used in the blend were harvested at 24˚ to 25˚ Balling and vinified separately.Yields averaged 8 to 10 tons per hectare.

in the cellar : After crushing the juice was cold-soaked for a few days to ensure
maximum colour extraction while limiting the extraction of harsh tannins. During the first three days of fermentation, the skins were
vigorously punched down while from the fourth day the fermenting wine was aerated. After fermentation the free-run wine was
drawn off into 300-litre barrels and allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation. Thereafter the different wines were tasted and
the type of wood for maturation selected based on the style of the wine. The barrels were a combination of first- and second-fill
French and Hungarian oak. After 14 months a final selection of the best barrels was made and the wine blended and bottled.